[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Pages 11836-11837]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO ADMIRAL JAMES WINNEFELD, JR.

  Mr. DONNELLY. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to ADM James 
Winnefeld, Jr., who is retiring at the end of this month after serving 
with distinction for more than 37 years, culminating his career as the 
Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
  Throughout his service as a senior military leader, Admiral Winnefeld 
has provided this body, and in particular the Senate Committee on Armed 
Services, with valuable testimony and candid military advice. Over the 
last 4 years, Admiral Winnefeld has served as the ninth Vice Chairman 
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His vast experience, knowledge, 
outstanding leadership, and professionalism, combined with his deep 
respect and consideration for our service men and women, will be 
greatly missed.
  During his tenure as Vice Chairman, Admiral Winnefeld provided 
military advice to not only the legislative branch but also to the 
President of the United States, the Secretary of Defense, the National 
Security Council, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on a 
wide range of complex military and national security issues during an 
extremely challenging period in our country's history.
  In a challenging fiscal and security environment, Admiral Winnefeld 
helped to lead our military through global events and threats, to 
include the Department of Defense's rebalance to the Pacific, Iraq 
troop withdrawal, Afghanistan transition, the global threat of ISIL, 
instability in Syria, and Russia's provocative actions in Eastern 
Europe. In addition, the Vice Chair played key roles in advising our 
Nation's leaders on various counterterrorism efforts.
  As Vice Chairman, he led the development and implementation of the 
2014 Quadrennial Defense Review, an effort that involved thousands of 
senior leadership man hours. Pivotal to his role as the Vice Chairman, 
he also chaired the Joint Requirements Oversight Council, where he 
worked tirelessly to transform the requirement processes to become more 
agile, transparent, and inclusive. Admiral Winnefeld focused his 
efforts on the immediate capability needs of the combatant commanders 
and the most pressing military issues of the joint warfighter.
  As cochair of the Defense Acquisitions Board, Admiral Winnefeld 
worked to link the requirements, resource, and acquisition communities 
in developing programs to deliver appropriate capabilities to the joint 
warfighter at the right time and for the right price.
  Admiral Winnefeld's work as a cochair of the Nuclear Weapons Council 
ensured our military's nuclear enterprise and No. 1 priority remained 
viable and relevant as a strategic deterrent to our Nation's 
adversaries.
  Admiral Winnefeld graduated from the Georgia Institute of 
Technology--also known as Georgia Tech--and received his commission 
from the Navy ROTC Program there. He subsequently served with three 
fighter squadrons flying the F-14 Tomcat and as an instructor at the 
Navy Fighter Weapons School. Admiral Winnefeld's unit commands at sea 
include Fighter Squadron 211, the USS Cleveland, and the USS 
Enterprise.
  He led the ``Big E'' through her 18th deployment, which included 
combat operations in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring 
Freedom immediately after the terrorist acts of September 11, 2001.
  As the commander of Carrier Strike Group TWO, he led Task Forces 50, 
152, and 58 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and maritime 
interception operations in the Arabian Gulf. He also served as the 
commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet, the commander of NATO Allied Joint 
Command Lisbon, and the commander of Striking and Support Forces NATO.
  His shore tours include service in the Joint Staff Operations 
Directorate, as senior aide to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and as 
executive assistant to the Vice Chief of Naval Operations.
  As a flag officer, Admiral Winnefeld served ashore as the director of 
Warfare Programs and Transformational Concepts at U.S. Fleet Forces 
Command, as the director of Joint Innovation and Experimentation at 
U.S. Joint Forces Command, and as the director for Strategic Plans and 
Policy on the joint staff.
  Prior to becoming the vice chairman, Admiral Winnefeld served as the 
commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command and the U.S. 
Northern Command.
  As the commander of NORAD and NORTHCOM, Admiral Winnefeld led 
historic advances in the working relationship between NORTHCOM, 
Homeland Security, FEMA, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Customs 
and Border Protection, and the National Guard, specifically with the 
dual status commander concept. In addition, he led the U.S.-Mexican 
military-to-military relationship to a historic level of collaboration 
and brought tangible results to our Nation's important struggle against 
the fast-growing transnational criminal organizations.
  Through his distinctive accomplishments, Admiral Winnefeld culminated 
a long and distinguished career in the service of our Nation. His 
tenure leaves a lasting, positive legacy on our armed services. I 
appreciate his extraordinary service which reflected great credit upon 
himself, the U.S. Navy, and the Department of Defense.
  For nearly 40 years, Admiral Winnefeld has performed his duty 
professionally, honestly, and with great dedication. Our Nation will 
miss his

[[Page 11837]]

leadership and expertise. We wish him and his family all the best as he 
moves to the next phase of his life. Personally, I want to thank 
Admiral Winnefeld and say job well done, God bless, and Godspeed.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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